MONTEREY, California (May 12, 2024) – The Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 and the No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06 GTP teams shared the fourth row of the GTP grid for the MOTUL Course de Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. After a competitive qualifying on Saturday seeing the field separated by less than one second, the WTRAndretti team knew strategy would become a key factor in the race especially given the unknowns of how the race would play out on the new track surface.
Louis Deletraz in the red and black Acura GTP got off to a strong start, quickly gaining a position as the green flag flew to put himself in sixth position. As the field settled into the opening laps, Deletraz was able to maintain a strong pace throughout the first stint. During the first round of pit stops, the No. 40 car capitalized on the race’s only caution and jumped up to fourth position with Jordan Taylor behind the wheel to finish out the race. In a race that saw very minimal attrition of the field, Taylor was able to keep the GTP leaders in his sight and was able to battle his way forward to achieve a fourth-place result, even contending for a spot on the podium near the end.
Similar to their No. 40 teammates, Ricky Taylor in the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 capitalized on the start, gaining a position forward. Taylor showed promising pace as he looked to cut through the field. However, the team received an early mechanical penalty, forcing the team to pit earlier than anticipated – changing the game of strategy for the team. After the penalty was served and a driver change to Filipe Albuquerque, the team found themselves in ninth, one lap down from the leaders. With luck from the race’s singular caution, the No. 10 team were able to get the lap back. As the team made a strategy call on the final pit stop to take full fuel and four tires, Albuquerque was able to put his head down and work his way up to the GTP leaders fighting for a top five in the closing laps before ending the day in sixth position.
Next up for the WTRAndretti Acura ARX-06 GTP duo will be taking on the streets of downtown Detroit for the first time. As another 100-minute sprint race, the GTP class will make its’ debut on the street circuit on May 30 – June 1, 2024.
No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 GTP Drivers
Ricky Taylor: “It was a positive day for the team. I think we improved the cars throughout the weekend and we learned a lot. We checked off every page of the book as far as set up goes and things we could try. On the No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 car side, that penalty early on really set us back for the rest of the race. Recovery wise it was a really strong day. We were coming through the field at the start, got the penalty which dropped us back, then we were climbing our way back up with some nice strategy, taking four tires at the last stop gave us a fast car to the end. I think Filipe just ran out of time toward the end, otherwise I think we could’ve gotten the No. 01 car. Fourth or fifth would’ve been possible for us today. We learned a lot, and we’re on to the next one. At least this race was smooth, so we’ll build on it for the next one.”
Filipe Albuquerque: “It was a hard day for us. We were a lap down and then pretty much after that we were elbows out and fighting. It was good fun. I had good fun. The No. 10 Konica Minolta Acura ARX-06 car was fast. Unfortunately, the position I was in, there was not much I could do. Twice I was last and just came back. To finish P6 was good to minimize the damage of the position we were in.”
No. 40 DEX Imaging Acura ARX-06 GTP Drivers
Louis Delétraz: “P4, good day, good points. I think we struggled for pace this weekend, so to come out with a P4 and fighting for the podium is very good news. It means we did our best and executed well as a team. I’m very proud of WTRAndretti and DEX Imaging, and of course to everyone at HRC a big thank you, because without them we wouldn’t be able to do it. It keeps our championship goals alive, so to take P4 this weekend was very good for us.”
Jordan Taylor: “It was a good race for us. Starting in eighth, we went from eighth to fourth, so that was good progress. We were lacking a bit of pace all weekend and were able to execute very well in the race to go up the grid a bit. We had some good fights on track, and we had a good car to maybe fight for third position, but it was all down to get the traffic in the right spot. Taking two tires was a good strategy call to make some ground up on the out lap and be able to fight towards the end of the race. It was frustrating to not be able to battle for a win, but we are heading in the right direction.”
ABOUT WTRANDRETTI
Andretti Global and Wayne Taylor Racing announced a new, long-term partnership in 2023 that combines the resources of the two championship-caliber teams to compete in IMSA’s top classes. In 2024, Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti (WTRAndretti) has expanded to a two-car GTP program as well as competes in the GTD class. Coming off its 2023 championship winning effort, WTRAndretti continues its Driver Development Program competing in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America series with a full stable.
WTRAndretti’s global motorsports enterprise boasts two IMSA driver championships (2013 and 2017), and back-to-back IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup Championships (2020, 2021) which contributed to nine IMSA manufacturer championships for Acura, Pontiac, Corvette and Cadillac. In its brief 17-year history, WTRAndretti has accumulated multiple victories in sportscar racing’s most iconic events: Rolex 24 At Daytona, Twelve Hours of Sebring, Petit Le Mans, Mid-Ohio, Road America and the Six Hours of The Glen. With its back-to-back PRO Class Championship wins (2022, 2023), WTR also has ten North America Lamborghini Super Trofeo Championship titles and a Lamborghini World Finals title.
Andretti Global, a Championship-winning motorsports organization, competes in additional racing categories worldwide, including the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, Extreme E, Australian Supercars and the Mexico SuperCopa Championship. Additionally, the racing enterprise commits to driver development through competition in INDY NXT by Firestone and through support of Sebastian and Oliver Wheldon’s racing careers.
WTRAndretti’s long term partnerships include Acura, Honda Racing Corporation US (HRC), Konica Minolta Business Solutions USA, DEX Imaging, Harrison Contracting Company and Gainbridge.
